Archive for July, 2008

Her first two pregnancies happened without any complications beyond the fact that Romani did not like pain. This one was a different story. After hours of labor it appeared that the mother’s contracts were not strong enough to push the newborn out the canal. Those in charge knew things weren’t looking good.

The 29-year-old patient — an Asian elephant named Romani, was in trouble of loosing her child after it’s legs had started to enter the birth canal and with all the medications given to increase labor nothing was happening. The longer the calf stayed in the canal the higher the risk of both animals dying

At this point the 330lb. the calf needed help and quickly. She needed a rare surgical procedure. Emergency actions were taken as experts from around the country were called in. “Dr. Dennis Schmitt, a professor of veterinary medicine from Missouri State University. Other members of the surgical team came from Cornell University in Ithaca, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom in Orlando, Fla. From both Missouri and from Florida’s Disney, experts were flown in.” (NYTimes Published: June 9, 2006)

It was not meant to be for the calf. The mother on the other hand was lucky. She awoke from the surgery, had some recuperation time and then head back out into the yard.

Upon her entry, her daughter walked up to her and in a gesture that touched everyone’s hearts they locked trunks for several minutes. To on lookers it touched their hearts. To the vets the show of affection helped to reassure them that both mentally and physically she had support.

As I heard the story all sorts of wonderful things flew through my head including the belief that in business we should also show some type of compassion to aid others when things go wrong. Obviously it depends on the individuals involved and what happened.

I’m talking about when someone gives it their all and it just doesn’t work out. Take a moment, lock trunks, nothing needs to be said, and help them to move on.

Ever been in a position where you’ve gotten a rude awaking when you’ve realized that a thought you believed to be truth really wasn’t? For example, an international executive was given the responsibility of developing future leaders for his organization that reached all around the globe. His primary focus was to develop project managers to fill the soon-to-be-left talent gap in executive management.

His approach was to create a school tied to a major university and then start the education process. The pool of students necessary to fill the gap according to his calculations was 19, and the time frame 2-3 years. The students were drawn from one Florida campus.

He couldn’t be more wrong.

Let’s work out some statistics.

* The company manages multinational projects in every sector of the world while the smallest project is estimated at USD $75 Million.
It takes upwards of 5-10 years to train someone in the skill set.
* The individual will live in the given country for several years.
* More than half of their leadership team will retire in 10 years. The figure is estimated at 25-30 people.

Mind you these numbers were not hard to find. It took me less than a day.

Now let’s play out the thinking. Given that the training program is multi year and it takes 5-10 years to train an individual, then you’ve got to add attrition into the numbers: not only for those that can’t do it, but for those that get hired away, get sick, quit, don’t like the job, etc. The number of applicants increases by at least 4 fold or even 5 fold. The students are also only being pulled from one university for global placement. Too monochromatic! A global force would be better suited to hire people who’ve got global reach.

In Denmark, it’s unheard of that an individual won’t speak at least 3 languages and have spent time abroad-in another country, if they want to move up in management. The time span for education is too short. A two-year plan only puts them into a short tract and leaves the rest to OJT (on-the-job-training) without supervision.

The goal is wrong. The goal should be to deliver to the company 20+ fresh recruits while ALSO preparing for the next round of departures. So 30+ would be the number.

A company of this size, with this strategy, would never be able to meet the demands, and once they realize it, it’s going to be too late. Not that they won’t succeed. It’s that there will be a talent gap between what’s needed and what leadership and management can deliver.

To this end the organization might still make money, but less of it. They still might grow but management will be putting our fires all day. Recruiting will be harder and more time consuming. The list is endless, and it’s all based around the lack of a sound strategy.

Now you might think I’m being harsh however when I rolled out the numbers to the executive he said nothing. As if he’d been hit by a rock. All his assumptions were off and he’d never realized the consequences.

This lack of thinking about the importance of sound strategic and tactical thinking is not uncommon. When a writer prepares an outline they think it’s writing. It’s not. It’s strategy. What’s the book about and what options do we have to make this book happen is all strategy. When the writer starts writing the actual pages it’s now tactical. This little error in insight is huge.

When one thinks or retirement and a number jumps into their head that sounds great just because it’s large does not mean it’s really a sound target.

Try it. Take a number you’d like to have in the bank when you retire, any number that realistic. $1 Billion is not a typical number so be real. $500,000 will only give $15,000 a year return if placed in a bank. More if done wisely. How many people in the US can live on $15,000? A few minutes of thinking do so much.

Now are there other solutions to all these situations. Yes, there are tons’ of solutions such as the firm above could automate several functions that are now manual and require skills that take years to learn. Language translators will be more common in 2015 then they are today given there are already prototypes in production for the conversion of phone conversations to many of the worlds languages. 5 -10 years may be long because the past has been based on OJT and not on a more scientific model. The application process could be more rigorous or even a contract signed that for the education they will work for 5 years in the field.

Even with these numbers 19 won’t cut it.

A little time spent being aware of what’s going on and then strategizing goes a long way. Remember, you’re paid to think.

It’s a simple and yet loaded question given that many individuals who run or manage and organization have not thought through this question long enough to make a sound judgment.

Ever notice that a simple little piece of advice can radically change how someone performs? An employee might not get how to work on a program or complete a task until you compare it to another activity. In the movie the Karate Kid, the master teaches the student to block by giving him the responsibility of “wax on wax off” in the form of a household task. The same motion is a karate basic.

Russell, the Director of Field Sales at Bayer, mentioned that for a few weeks he had trouble learning to snowboard until one individual stopped him on the slopes and told him when making a right hand turn to PET THE DOG, then making a left hand turn to WAVE TO THE CROWD. The two thoughts moved Russell to a new place and he started to board with ease.

The next time someone you work with has trouble, think of a similar function that may either: 1. Take the person’s mind off their frustrations; or 2. Give them a jump to a more common activity that they can easily do. The difference can mean substantial and rapid gains.

While using ELANCE.com, an outsourcing web site where buyers can get in touch with vendors domestically and internationally, I ran across a vendor that uses their marketing efforts to appear to be just like their clients.

Citadel Softlabs (P) Ltd., an Indian company based in Bangalore, was one of the vendors that submitted a bid for a project I had posted. Mind you there were posts from 7 countries around the world.

What hit me was in every picture on their site, they used American or European looking people as both client and vendor. http://www.citadel-soft.com/csl/index-2.html Knowing that the company is based in India, and the contact name is Vinod, an Indian name, I’m sure at least some of the employees are of Indian decent.

Yet not one was pictured.

It’s not a bad thing: just a positioning statement that may or may not work to their advantage. I’ve seen others take the exact opposite approach, showing that staffing are all Indian.

In your view, what do you think your clients wish to see, and how might a simple shift in thinking create greater subliminal connection to you and your firm?

Two points.

The first point is that being heard does not mean one’s ideas must be implemented. It means that if individuals are a part of a process and they know that their ideas and solutions are at least added to the list of ideas reviewed, participation from within the organization increases.

For example, if you’ve got an idea box around the office, the odds are the box is often not filled. The reason may be different than you think. Employees may feel as if their ideas are just discarded, if they’ve not been used.

To solve this, discuss some of the ideas that have not been used with the person who suggested them. Some ideas have potential, but they need some adjustments to make them workable. Talk to the people who offered the ideas to see what can be done.

Today I heard of a case in which and employee felt no one was listening to his idea until his manager sat him down and showed him that his ideas would not be allowed by the FDA. Once he learned that there were legal reasons, he immediately understood and better yet could supply a fresh new round of ideas that did not break the law.

(You can even post all the ideas submitted to show that you’re listening.)

The second point comes from a fable that I may be bastardizing.

It’s where a king traveled the land visiting all the cities he controlled. In each city, he allowed all the residents to come and tell him their issues. After several cities, one of the king’s aids asked him why he heard all the people’s challenges and often did nothing. He told the individual that sometimes people just want to be heard, and often that’s all that matters.

Now, I don’t suggest wasting your time and others’ time just kissing up. But I thought the idea that people want to have a say and feel appreciated when they’re given a chance to speak up is a great way of showing respect to your staff while simultaneously gathering fresh ideas that could change the course of your organization in a positive way.

Here are several key tools to keep your filing system in sync.

1. Keep all files on your server versus keeping them on local drives. This simple approach enables everyone to find all files and always enables everyone to do their jobs.

2. Use syncing software to take any files with you if you need them on a local drive and can’t use the net to reach the data.

3. Save all files with the following methodology. First place the date in the front of the document name and then the file name. This approach is because our society is saving hundreds if not thousands of documents in a given year, and the date allows the computer to put your files in a chronological order. The date or reference to a time frame is easier to recall than is the specific file name.

4. The date should have the following sequence. Year-Month-Day: so February 6, 2008 would read 08-02-06. This structure collects files by year first, i.e. all the 08′s are together, so that the files are in actual chronological order.

5. Save all documents in a folder that meets another set of criteria. The folder should be labeled EXACTLY as you saved the name of the contact-company in your CRM application. So if you’ve been working with Edison Properties, LLC, then you should label the folder as Edison Properties, LLC. How you do this is to copy and paste the file name instead of retyping, thus eliminating the potential for making spelling errors.

5A. The naming system needs to be created for everyone to follow. Here are a few strategies we use.

If a company starts with “THE” in its name, “THE” follows the rest of the name. ‘The Muse’ is filed as ‘Muse, The.’

Names of individuals that are not associated with a company are labeled by their given names, listing the last name first. ‘David Goldsmith’ is filed as ‘Goldsmith, David’ in the space provided for a company name.

When an organization has multiple divisions, you may name each division in this fashion: Dell – Technical Support

6. Not using CRM or customer relationship management software….or what I call Office Relationship Management? Then this is one software you need to install. Simple programs are ACT and Goldmine, Salesforce.com and many others exist, so the choices are plentiful enough that there are no excuses. These programs enable you to keep track of contacts with clients so that there is a record of all correspondences.

7. Use the ACT naming system for any physical file. However, I recommend a system called Paper Tiger that uses a numeric system to file all documents so that they can be searched.

These small activities translated to a larger organization make it easy for everyone to find any document or contact within minutes. Right now I can tap into my system and find any file, because I know the naming system and around what time it was created.

A typical customer/contact does not have thousands of connections, and yet if they do, this approach allows you to narrow down the search. Think of the opposite situation. Can you remember the file you created last summer in a field of 50 documents? Can you remember the exact name? I bet not, especially if you’re a busy person.

It may take a few changes in your organization to make this work, but the work will pay for itself in the elimination of frustrations, the presence of employee confidence in the system, retention of clients-employees, and the potential ability to keep staffing numbers lean.

The next time someone says they’re frustrated, don’t ask why, how they feel, or try to solve it. Ask a much simpler question such as…

What initiated this feeling?
What sparked this change?
What conditions set this in motion?

You’d be surprised at how their response to any of these questions enables the person to put his or her feelings in check. Then, let their answers aid you in offering sound advice.

If I were to ask you what hats you wear as a manager and leader, what would you say? Here are just a few offered from decision makers like you in just 4 minutes. Many are not good.

Teacher
Mentor
Salesperson
Friend
Joker
Lobbyist
Innovator
Mother
Driver
Postman
Writer
Accountant
Customer Support
Producer
Babysitter
Scheduler
Reviewer
Adviser
Translator
Marketing Manager
Planner
“Nurser”
Office Boy
Cleaner
Presenter
Project Manager
Trainer
Educator
Event Planner
Manager
Therapist
Problem Solver
Fire Fighter
Team Player
Diplomat
Researcher
Secretary
Engineer
Boss
Computer Expert
Logistics Person
Travel Agent
Assistant
Shop Fitter
Peace Maker
Lawyer
Doctor
Chancellor
Architect
Coach
Father
Security Guard
Devils Advocate
Chaperone
Cheerleader
Spy
Police
Detective
Decision Maker
Coordinator

What would you add?

If you’ve read any of my work, you know there’s an overriding theme that if leaders and managers are not thinking, things may not go as planned. At the same time, I push for decision makers to be conscious to Think Global Even If You Only Act Local.

Yes, even if you’re only selling shoes in Florida and bottled water in California and bearings in Massachusetts, there’s a need to be more aware of other cultures and more importantly the world we live in globally.

Let’s take the local first.

The power of being aware of others on a global scale locally is more important today than it’s ever been, if you consider that in any given city in the US, there’s a mixed society forming. Poles are living next to Indians who are living next to Chinese. If you sell in any major city in the world, the understanding of diversity within cultures is huge and can impact your bottom line.

The more you know about others, the better able you are to service them as clients, work with them as vendors, and hire them as employees. Yes, employees: even if you’re local. With the convergence of cultures and the connectivity of people thanks to the Internet, products and services that were once limited to a sale at the retail counter to a resident from down the street, may now cross more lines than you can imagine.

On the global side, it’s easy to see how the world is becoming smaller. In one day, you can talk, text, video, or email to someone in Canada, Argentina, and Germany and not bat an eyelash. Twenty years ago, this was not so common. And if you checked the manufacturing sites—ie, “Made in China”—of the products you use to communicate with, you’ll see that the collective “we” are more interwoven with each other than ever before.

This large step for commerce means that what you know and do will impact your future in ways never expected. Such as a buyer may or may not buy from you based upon your shoes, your greeting, your watch, your expression, or what they interpret as your aggressiveness. What you might think is a great reason for them to buy from you might be their reason for running in the opposite direction.

The Japanese covet watches, and in a meeting, your wearing of the “right” watch may be the deciding factor of whether you leave that meeting with success or spoils. Take a German and a Chilean and you’ve not two cultures with different approaches to business development. The Germans are direct, and the Chileans want a relationship before moving forward.

Do you know the difference between Bangladesh and India?

What’s amazing is that in the US, there is a lack of concern for knowledge that would aid in these misunderstandings. This apathy, and in turn ignorance, is not a recipe for us to meet our counterparts around the world half way.

If you think such ignorance is not as prevalent as you might think, read this article and listened to the video.

Do note that even though Kellie made an error, Jeff Foxworthy called the country Hungry and not Hungary.

NY Times article.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/14/books/14dumb.html?ref=arts

YouTube Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=juOQhTuzDQ0

Before I start, I’d like to recommend the movie Vantage Point, if you’re an action movie person. The film, from start to finish, is full of action.

That said, and without giving away the movie,

I love how films and television often are so adept at showing individuals who use technology to do incredible feats. How a cell phone can manage multiple tools. How a computer can automate an office. How a car can think on its own. Yet with all this “film technology,” people in leadership don’t take the clue that this type of technology is actually available to humans if only those who do the thinking would spend more time thinking and less time walking around.

If you’re a progressive decision maker, you are thinking about how this technology can be used everyday and how you can move your company from operating in a manually-automated to automated fashion. A simple way to jumpstart the process is to continually ask yourself where can you press one button and have everything happen.